"I Don't Even Know What I Am Chasing"

I recently had the chance to see "Chariots of Fire" for the first time since its theatrical release (I must have seen it about 3 times in the theater, at age 8 or 9.) It was unbelievable, how vividly I remembered so much of the film, from Ian Holm punching in his hat after Harold wins the 100 meter, to Eric and his sister, Jennie, having this memorable exchange, which my sister and I repeated for years (with heavy Scottish inflection):


Eric: "Jennie, Jennie...Don't fret yourself!"

Jennie: "But I DO fret myself, Eric!"

(She, of course, is worried that he is abandoning his religious works for his running.)

This is a film for the ages. Perhaps because it is a "period piece," it withstands the test of time. But I think its strength comes more from the beauty of the story, the amazing photography, the brilliant performances from so many unknown actors (plus a few heavyweights like Holm and Sir John Gielgud), and, of course, the MUSIC. As my music-loving husband pointed out, it almost seems as if the running sequences were filmed to accompany the music, not the other way around. I really can't think of any other film where the music is so seemlessly integrated into the whole work of art.

I was sad to learn, after consulting my beloved (but extremely outdated and therefore frequently useless) 2002 Video Hound, that Ian Charleson, the lovely actor who played Eric Liddle, passed away in 1990, at a sinfully young age. I fell in love with him when I was a kid; I am just sorry that he didn't have the chance to go on to other great things.